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A cloud migration fueled by a bunch of kids

Every organization’s cloud strategy plays out a little differently. For Phoenix Children’s Hospital, the focus has always been on its young patients.

By:Steve Grossenbacher

June 15, 2018

A cloud migration fueled by a bunch of kids

Since its founding in 1983, Phoenix Children's Hospital has been 100% focused on children’s health care. It has become one of the largest children’s hospitals in the U.S., with more than 1,000 pediatric specialists covering 75 pediatric subspecialties. Last year, its Level 1 trauma center had 84,000 visits.

The hospital is nationally recognized for innovations in research and excellence in care, and the hospital’s commitment to best practices reaches every part of the organization, including IT, which provides services essential to the delivery of care.

The IT team, led by Daniel Shuler, CISO and Director IT Security, was seeking a more secure, effective approach for connecting its 6,000 users operating around the clock in 22 locations. Security had become an increasing challenge with physicians and staff moving constantly between locations, and costs were rising even as some needs, particularly SSL inspection, were being constrained by technology limitations. The team found itself spending more time dealing with increased complexity in the data center, with frequent maintenance, updates, and outage windows—and there’s never a good time to turn off services that affect access to medical records and data.

Seeking a remedy in the cloud

The Phoenix Children’s Hospital’s IT team found that by moving security to the cloud with Zscaler, it could extend always-on security to all its locations and roaming physicians. It could get the full SSL inspection it needed without capacity limitations. And it could phase out costly, complex security appliances.

Cloud-delivered security has brought Phoenix Children’s more effective and more consistent security for physicians and staff wherever they go. It has simplified IT and reduced costs. It’s enabled faster sharing of information and a more seamless experience for doctors and staff. And all of that has enabled them to deliver world-class care to the kids in Arizona and beyond. For Phoenix Children’s Hospital, that’s always been the point.